EFCC charges former COAS, Minimah, over alleged N13bn arms fraud

A former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah, has bern charged by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the alleged diversion of N13 billion meant for procurement of arms while he was in office.

In the suit, the EFCC said it had on August 15, 2016, received a report by the Committee on the Audit of Defence Equipment Procurement in the Nigerian Armed Forces (CADEP) from 2007- 2015, chaired by AVM Jon Ode (rtd) indicting Minimah and other top military officers in the fraud.

Also listed as co-defendants in the case which is before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, are a one-time Chief of Accounts and Budget of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. A. O. Adetayo, and former Director, Finance and Accounts of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier Gen. R. I. Odi.

A statement by the anti-graft agency on Wednesday, said the CADEP audit report alleged that between 2010 and 2015, “several billions of Naira were received by the Nigerian Army from the Federal Government for procurement of military hard-wares and were discovered to have been misappropriated by Senior Army officers.”

“It was revealed that the sum of Thirteen billion, Seven Hundred and Ninety Eight Million, Six Hundred and Nineteen Thousand, Three Hundred and Nine Naira (N13,798,619,309) was misappropriated by the following persons: Lt. Gen. KTJ Minimah (rtd), the former Chief of Army Staff, Maj. Gen. A.O Adetayo, one-time Chief of Accounts and Budget, Nigerian Army and then Colonel R.I Odi, former Director, Finance and Accounts, Nigerian Army.

“The sums were transferred from various accounts belonging to the Nigerian Army and moved to company accounts of entities that had no business relations with the Nigerian Army.

“This caused huge loss to the Nigerian Army and the Federal Government of Nigeria through the unlawful gains made by the aforementioned officers who converted the monies for their personal use.

“The legal advice on the investigation opined that a prima facie case has been sustained against the officers,” the EFCC stated.

It added that the outcome of investigations led to the filing of charges against the three officers fingered in the alleged fraud, and

consequently, wrote to the Nigerian Army, requesting the three officers to make themselves available for arraignment.

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